Last push to turn former Libertyville High into community center
An all out push to convert the vacant former Libertyville High School to a community center is under way.
But if a series of events to raise money and awareness for the project doesn't work, it could be the end of the line for the ambitious but expensive project.
"This is our make or break year," said Jim Moran, a member of the Brainerd Community Center Inc., board.
"Making Brainerd Real" is the theme of a fundraising and marketing plan to get the building on Route 176 and Brainerd Avenue, just southwest of downtown, off the wish list and into public use.
The first target is identifying what needs to be done, then following through to make regular use of the Jackson Gym. Built in 1929, it was an addition to the original Libertyville Township High School, which opened in 1917.
"To make the Brainerd Community Center concept real to the community, we have to start using the building," Moran said.
A fundraiser at Austin's Saloon and Eatery is scheduled for April, with the objective as much to build public awareness as to raise money.
"So many people in the community see this building sitting there and think, `They're not doing anything,'" Moran said.
Efforts are under way to arrange work days and tours, apply for grants and solicit donations, host events, create a video, distribute brochures and generally ingrain the idea in the community conscience.
The grounds will be a venue for the annual Libertyville Days festival, for example, and a New Year's Eve bash would cap a year of activity - if the gym can be made usable by then.
"Bottom line, getting people in the building is the single best way to make it 'real' and the gym is a large space with many possible uses," according to the not-for-profit group's synopsis of the campaign.
Closed in 2003 and 2004 respectively, the school and gym are owned by Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128. The village has a long-term lease and subleases it to the Brainerd group. An initial payment of $250,000 is due Dec. 1, 2011.
Without a solid plan and verified source of funds for the lease and some improvements, supporters of what eventually could be a $15 million makeover may call it quits.
"Is there public interest in it or do we say, `It was a nice try' and move on?" said Walt Oakley, another community center group member.
Many behind the scenes actions have occurred, including the merger last fall of the Brainerd group with the Libertyville Civic Center Foundation to provide expertise and assets.
More recently, the roof has been patched, some windows replaced and exterior lights are being updated. Renovation costs are being updated.
"There are a lot of sources available but we have to set the vision we have for the building," said Todd McDermott, who is pursuing grants for the group.
The buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places and were included on Landmarks Illinois' 2009-10 watch list.